Vijay lacks experience, says Palaniswami, criticises actor''s handling of Karur tragedy

In his first critical remarks about Vijay, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday slammed the actor-politician on the Karur stampede and claimed that lack of planning led to the tragedy.

In his first critical remarks about Vijay, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday slammed the actor-politician on the Karur stampede and claimed that lack of planning led to the tragedy. Speaking to reporters here after attending a party event, the Leader of Opposition remarked that ''Vijay may be a good actor but not a leader.'' Targeting the TVK founder over the September 27, 2025, tragedy that left 41 persons dead and many injured, Palaniswami said Vijay had addressed the party rally ''without planning,'' leading to the deaths. ''He didn't visit the affected families in person to console them. Unlike others, the AIADMK ministers and cadres were always on the forefront when it came to taking care of people during Tsunami or cyclones,'' Palaniswami said. This is the first time Palaniswami has criticised Vijay. Since the tragic incident last year, Palaniswami had been faulting the ruling DMK for poor security arrangements and had said being an actor Vijay would naturally attract huge crowds. ''It is the duty of the state government and police to provide adequate security arrangements for the safety of the people,'' Palaniswami had said then. At the press conference today, the AIADMK leader said ''Vijay went without planning. 41 families have become orphaned.'' His outburst followed the recent comment of the actor calling the AIADMK a corrupt party. Also, Palaniswami wondered what made Vijay give up his lucrative acting career and enter into politics. ''It seems one can talk about anything just because one has a huge fan following. What matters in real life is the lives and livelihood of the people,'' Palaniswami said. On Vijay's claim that the upcoming Assembly election will see a direct contest between the TVK and DMK, Palaniswami said anyone could run a party and say many things. He took a dig at the DMK for claiming that the AIADMK was subservient to the BJP and sought to know why DMK leader Kanimozhi met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Wednesday. ''They called us slaves of the BJP, now they are begging for alliance with the Congress,'' he remarked.

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